1. Technical Field
The present invention is directed to a system and method for automatic conversion of dates and times for messaging applications. More specifically, the present invention is directed to the conversion of dates and times in text messages to the local dates and times of the message recipients.
2. Description of Related Art
Undoubtedly, the Internet has substantially changed the way people communicate. For example, e-mail has replaced letters and telephone calls as the preferred method of correspondence for many people around the world. In fact, billions of e-mail messages are sent out each day.
Communicating by e-mail is simply not fast enough for many of us. For example, someone sending an e-mail message does not know if an intended recipient is on-line at any particular time. Also, the processes of sending, reading and replying to e-mail messages entail certain steps that take up time. Consequently, instant messaging is becoming increasingly popular.
Instant messaging is a new form of electronic text messaging service that allows users to correspond with each other in real-time. Typically, a user maintains a list of contacts or a “buddy list”. The user can send instant messages to anyone on the list, as long as that person is on-line. A user types a message into a dialog box. The instant messaging system sends the message instantly to be read by the recipient. Sending the message opens a window where the originator and recipient can then type in messages that both can see. Thus, a significant advantage of instant messaging is that it allows people in different locales to use the Internet to “talk” to one another without telephones.
On the other hand, a significant drawback of existing instant messaging systems (as well as conventional e-mail messaging systems) is that if dates and times are included in the messages, users in different time zones and locales can interpret these dates and times differently. For example, assume that one instant messaging user is located in the U.S. Central Standard Time Zone, and a second user is located in the U.S. Eastern Standard Time Zone. If the user in the Central Time Zone types the message “I'll check back with you today at 4:00 PM,” the user in the Eastern Time Zone can interpret the message to read “I'll check back with you today at 4:00 PM” Eastern Standard Time. Obviously, this interpretation is wrong. Typically, if one of the users realizes that the given time may be misinterpreted, then a series of additional messages usually follow to clear up the misunderstanding. Otherwise, the users may fail to communicate with each other at the appointed time.
Therefore, there is a need for a system and method for automatically converting dates and times in electronic text messages to the local dates and times of the message recipients.